Everlasting Story
by Akane Miata
Summary: After Jusendo, the story was supposed to be over. Now, Akane's thrust into a duty she never wanted to accept, and may be forced by destiny to fight the one person who never wanted to hurt her: Ranma.
1. Chapter 1

O_O hhheeeyyy, whaddya know. ^,^ I'm not dead. *beams* *side-steps blunt objects  
lobbed at her head*  
  
... o.o;;  
  
This is a fusion b/t Ranma and Fushigi Yuugi... it's more of a Ranma fic than a FY ficcy...  
and some... eh... ^^;; characters.... were ommited while writing this. Terribly sorry  
if you liked Miaka. o.o This... hasn't been pre-read, or even spell-checked, so.. ^.^  
have fun? o.o Yes. *nods*  
  
::everlasting story::  
-- by akane miata  
  
The subways of Japan are a busy place; school children and businessmen alike zooming  
from place to place, all blank and faceless among the hundreds. Few stopped to take  
any notice of the pair that had just stepped off at their station, making their way off the   
car and onto the platform. The train sped past the two young girls, ruffling skirt and   
pigtail as it continued on its way.  
  
Ranma shook one of her heavy water-soaked sleeves, blinking to clear her eyes of the  
excess water that dripped out of her hair. She grunted in disgust as she turned to follow  
her taller partner through the forest of pedestrians. "Everytime. That damned old   
woman. Must have sonar or somethin'. Knew we shouldn'ta gone home first. Oy."  
  
That was all Akane caught from the grumbling red-head as they made their way to the  
National Library of Japan. One her of hands fingered her torn uniform self-conciously as  
she jogged down the large stair case and turned in the direction of the library. "You act  
like a girl most of the time. Might as well look like one too, ne?" The corner of her lip  
turned up in a smile as she felt herself smacked on the back of her head.  
  
"Shut UP! Like you know anything about how girls act!" Although Akane didn't turn   
around to look at Ranma, she could practically hear the red-head stick her tongue out  
and make a face.  
  
"You're just moody because Kodachi was trying to kill you instead of kiss you..." With  
that, she turned around to make a smoochy face at Ranma, who's left eye twitched   
slightly.  
  
"Oh, *gross*," Ranma said with a shudder. "I saved your life, you ungrateful tomboy! If  
I hadn't pulled you outta the way of that ribbon, it'd be more than your shirt that was   
ripped to shreds!"  
  
Akane ignored Ranma's comment, stopping suddenly and causing Ranma to smack right  
into her from behind.  
  
"Ow."  
  
Akane ignored him again and looked up at the large structure in front of them. "We made  
it!! I thought it'd close..." She walked swiftly up the steps, and didn't turn to see if Ranma  
had followed until she had reached the top. "You coming or what?"   
  
Ranma looked up uneasily as she slowly climbed the steps.  
  
"It's just a library, Ranma. Books don't kill you, surprising to you as that may be."  
  
Ranma scowled indignantly and took the rest of the steps two at a time until she stood   
along side her fiance. "Don't be stupid. I just feel funny about this place."  
  
Akane patted Ranma's head in mock sympathy while the shorter girl sweatdropped.  
"Don't worry, Ranma. I know how scary something that requires brains must be to you,  
but that doesn't mean you're going to get out of doing this report--" She was hushed by   
a facefaulting Ranma.  
  
"That's not what I meant!" She yelled, waving her arms in frustration, only getting a laugh  
as reaction from Akane. Ranma stuck her tongue out again, slipping his school bag  
off his shoulders and shuffling through the things in it.  
  
Life had been good lately, as far as Ranma was concerned. He still faught with Akane,  
but he figured it was just their way. She'd forever be his constant companion, if he'd  
ever have anything to say about it. Saffron had definitely taught him some surprising  
things about himself. Some scarier than others.   
  
He'd murdered.  
  
Worst of all, he'd willingly do it again for the young tomboy who stood next to him,   
impatiently tapping her foot. His girl form surpressed a small smile as the Tendo girl's   
spare hand unconciously snuck up to play with her short hair.  
  
Ranma's hand brushed against what he'd been looking for, and he pulled it out of the   
backpack and threw it at Akane. "Think we'll live forever, Akane?"  
  
Her eyebrow raised in confusion as she caught the red shirt in her hand. "Pardon?"  
  
Akane's reaction knocked Ranma out of his own personal fantasy. His girl form laughed  
nervously and put the bag's strap back onto his shoulder. "Nothin'. Put that on, will ya?"  
  
"What for?"  
  
"Your uniform is ruined, Akane. Just put that on over it. Unless you LIKE walking around   
with your shirt hanging open."  
  
With that, she scowled and tossed her bookbag to Ranma while she slipped the Chinese  
shirt on and buttoned it up. When the backpack was returned to her, she eyed Ranma,  
then looked down at herself.  
  
"We match."  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Tacky."  
  
Ranma rolled his eyes and moved aside for three children scampering past towards the   
entrance, their laughter fading as they disappeared into the building. "We gonna go in or   
just stand here?"  
  
"You were the one with the 'funny feeling'..."  
  
Ranma waved a hand and herded his fiance to the huge doors. "Come'on, let's get your  
books before the stupid place closes for the night."  
  
They worked their way through the bustling crowd, side-by-side, until Ranma caught sight  
of a cluster of vending machines. Making a beeline to the food, drool and all, the pigtailed  
girl darted from machine to machine, giggling madly.  
  
"Graahh.. I'm hungry. It's been ages since I ate.... yen.. yen.. need money.."  
  
Akane sighed and shook her head in mock disapproval. "You always think with your stomach  
before your brain, dun'cha..."  
  
Akane absently fingered the soft red silk that enveloped her. Ranma's chatterings about which  
sandwich she thought she should get, or how many her stomach could hold, sunk into the   
background noise. Her mind wandered, drifting over the recent times.  
  
Life had become so much more casual; so much more laid back. It had been what seemed like  
so long since she and Ranma had fought each other sincerely, utterly ignorant to all around   
them.  
  
So long since he'd tease her mirthfully, assuming she'd be around to take it for all time. He'd  
been jarred out of it a few times, be it a prince that tried to capture her, or another boy that   
tried to capture her heart.  
  
It wasn't until Jusendo that something of a more permanent nature came into effect...  
  
Death wasn't something to fuck around with.  
  
She knew this first hand now, having already experienced it with her mother's death, but...  
  
How is one supposed to deal with their own death?  
  
The Jusendo ordeal had left her deeply scarred, and the horrible "wedding" ordeal that followed  
was as good as pouring salt into the unhealed wound.  
  
She *knew* intellectually that Ranma didn't really mean her any harm by his insults and denials,  
but every once and a while it was easy to forget that... She'd often wondered if Ranma had so  
much as enjoyed their frequent banters.  
  
That brought a smile to her lips; Okay, so maybe she enjoyed a good fight every once and a   
while, too. Didn't mean she ever had to admit that. It was just their way. The quirky friendship   
they shared, their familiarity. His own manner of letting his guard down only when around her,  
and relaxing ever-so-slightly into a silence that was never awkward.  
  
The way no one seemed to get their relationship, was never able to see beyond the barbs and   
hairpulling and clobbering. The way he smiled, like he had ever since the first time she met the   
boy. The smile she'd never seen him give anyone else. And, at least to her... It was perfect.   
  
But... how could something so perfect last forever?  
  
I can't help but feel that it'll all shatter, one way or another... She thought, pulling the coin  
out of her bookbag unconciously, in answer to Ranma's request for more money.  
  
Her arm extended to give Ranma the coin. And time seemed to slow to a stop.  
  
It started with a buzzing, directly behind her eyes, spreading through her head and swimming  
into the rest of her body. The coin fell from her limp fingers, falling as though air were mollasses.  
  
Ranma's eyes traced the coin's decent, and began to reach down to pick it up.  
  
It pricked at Akane's ears -- ruffling of.. feathers? -- and then it flashed before her vision, over   
Ranma's bent-over form. She stiffened, and tried to remind her lungs to inhale.  
  
*What... what's happening..?*  
  
Time seemed to return to normal, and control was regained. She could breathe again.  
  
"B-bird..."  
  
Ranma glanced up at her whisper, the uneasy feeling outweighing hunger for a moment. "Eh?"  
  
Akane's eyes were slightly unfocused -- almost as though shocked -- and she shook her head to  
clear it. "Didn't you see--? That big bird that just flew over you..."  
  
A sweatdrop made its way down the back of the shorter girl's head. Again, "Eh?"  
  
The unfocused look was gone, replaced with a curious and slightly impatient expression. "That  
thing! It was as fricking bright as your HAIR, Ranma! Just a moment ago!" Her hand traced  
over Ranma's head, where it'd been just heartbeats before.  
  
Ranma shook her head, the frown still on her face. "Maybe you're the one that needs some food,  
'kane..." At her fiance's frustrated glare, Ranma finally gave in. "Alright... where did big bird  
GO, then?" Not really expecting an answer, she turned back to the vending machines with the   
money she'd retrieved.  
  
"Up there!"  
  
For what felt like the millionth time, "Eh??"  
  
Before Ranma could even buy any of her stomach's desires, she found herself being dragged up  
a stairwell that looked anything but inviting.  
  
"I'm sure the phoenix went this way... I can feel it.."  
  
"I can feel a migraine coming on, if that helps anything..."  
  
Akane rolled her eyes, but otherwise ignored Ranma's comment, reaching the top of the staircase.   
"Rare books?" She read off of the sign hanging from the door. "I wonder if it's open..."  
  
"Don't we need to get YOUR book? Somehow I doubt a book on a swallow's nesting habits would  
be in a rare book room... And-- HEY! Don't you need permission to get in there?" Ranma's  
feminine voice had taken on a mock of a reprimanding tone as Akane reached for the doorknob.  
  
"The door's unlocked... and since when have YOU ever followed a rule, Ranma? Now, if you're   
through playing nanny..." Akane smiled. Ranma seemed more than willing to go through the  
door now.  
  
"Let's find your damn bird and get outta here..." She pushed past Akane and defiantly marched  
into the dark room. "Don't see a bird. Can we go now?" Her bright blue eyes were flashing as  
she scanned the shelves.   
  
Ranma feigned a casual air, but Akane noticed that Ranma was slightly tense.  
  
*She's on her guard...* Akane noted with surprise.  
  
Akane looked around the room, her interest piquing when she heard a slight thump come from  
one of the aisles. "Definitely not yet," she finally answered. "Did you hear that...?" She took in   
a silent breath. Ranma had immediately taken up a full-on defensive stance after the noise.   
Akane couldn't hold in her curiosity any longer. "What's got you so riled up?"  
  
Ranma frowned at Akane's tilted head. "I... I dunno. Just kinda jumpy for some reason..."  
Her pigtail drooped along with the rest of her and her eyes wandered around the room, the  
edgyness apparently held in check. "It came from over there..."  
  
Akane had already started making her way through the dusty room. "Huh. It looks like one of the  
books fell off the shelf, is all." She didn't see Ranma unconciously shiver, but felt her step up   
closer.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
Akane's fingers gently ran over the surface of the bound paper. "I.. don't know."  
  
The original wariness Ranma had felt from earlier resurfaced, and she reached out for Akane to  
take the book away and put it back where it had come from. "There's no bird in here, 'kane.  
Let's just get outta here."  
  
"Hold up!" She said light-heartedly, not sharing Ranma's worry. A grin broke out onto her face  
as she opened it to the first page of the story. "Don't be so scared of a library, Ranma-kun!"  
Her tongue stuck out of her mouth in a not-so-eloquent way, while Ranma fumed at her   
silently.  
  
"Don't CALL me that, you lame tomboy!"  
  
Akane just grinned wider and let her gaze wander from her fiance's eyes down to the story  
she held in her hands.  
  
"The Universe of The Four Gods... this just looks like a fairy tale of some sort."  
  
Ranma let out an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes. "Anything on big red birds in there?  
We're going to miss the check-out line before it closes, Akane. And then I'm going to laugh."  
  
Akane ignored him and continued to study the novel. "What a strange way to start off a book.."  
  
Ranma paused and glanced over Akane's shoulder down onto the pages. "Hm?"  
  
Akane cleared her throat and began to read aloud. "'And so, the girl of legend opened the door  
to the other world. This is the story of a girl who gathered the Seven Warriors of Suzaku, and  
who gained a magnificent power, allowing all of her wishes to come true--'"  
  
"This is boring, Akane..." Ranma grumbled. He wanted to get away from the growing feeling of  
unease in the back of her mind, already. Yeesh. Stupid tomboy and her weird-ass interests.  
  
Akane furrowed her brows a little at the words she read next.   
  
"'The story itself is an incantation. Whomever reads its words will receive its power. As soon   
as the first page is turned, the story becomes real...'? Chinese literature is so strange... I   
never get metaphors..."  
  
Ranma looked at the wonderment on Akane's face. "Oh, come ON, Akane. Let's just get out of  
here. You always find the most random things cool."  
  
Eye twitch.  
  
Akane was about to let out a nasty retort when she felt the tingle from earlier prick at her   
mind. "Wha--??"  
  
Ranma's warning-senses immediately went hay-wire as she saw terror dance into Akane's wide  
eyes. "We're leaving now, okay?" She tried to keep the slight tremor in her voice to a minimum,   
yanking on Akane by the sleeve. "You've probably ALREADY missed the check-out coun--" She   
stopped dead as the book flared a brilliant red.  
  
It fell immediately to the floor where it had left Akane's stiff fingers.  
  
The novel lay silently on its binding, opened to the first page for whomever wished to read it.  
The room it sat in was just as silent and empty as the book that had yet to live out its life.  
  
--------  
Woo! So what does this lead to for our two hero(ine o.O)s?? Who's Suzaku no Miko??  
WHAT is a Suzaku no Miko??   
What's with the creepy guys that think they can take on Akane in a fight?? Let's see how  
I screw up THIS fanfic, shall we?  
  
O.O;;  
That... o.O is the first chunk of writing that i've been able to call "finished" in over two years.  
^.^ Go me. Wooot. *waves around a flag w/ fishcakes on it* Writing, unfortunately (and  
obviously) isn't my strong point. o.O but...  
  
Feedback is always cool. *nods to herself* Yes. Yes it is. If it's to tell me I suck... *blink*  
O.o Go for it. Hell, I'll agree with you. Now, my foot's asleep. In a big way. x.x Ow.  
*chugs her frappacino* I actually plan on writing more to this story, but who knows when  
that "more" will actually be written. o.O *bursts into maniacal giggles* *gets back-handed  
by loving roommate* ... ;.; I can't laugh insanely like I used to. It's jus' not fair. My foot's  
still asleep. @.@ this has nothing to do with author's notes. I love getting off subject.  
toodles. ^,^  
  
Disclaimer: I am Akane Miata-sama the llama (and i can RYHME! =^^=). ;.; i don't need  
to disclaim myself... really... x.x *takes a running leap for the nearest closed window* 


	2. Chapter 2

::Disclaimer:: o.o *stares at you* ... why are you reading this?? WHO ARE YOU?!?! *hiss* .... x.x *falls over* .. *twitch*  
---  
As a note to everyone: Thank you for the reviews ^.^ annd... random babble:  
  
You do NOT need to have seen Fushigi Yuugi to enjoy this fic, first of all. ^^;  
thus why the first chapter may have been boring for those of you who've seen  
it before: I need to create a foundation for this ficcy, dun I?? .O;; It's a Ranma  
fic, not a FY fic.  
  
Also, as a side note: This story isn't following the FY timeline EXACTLY. I mean,  
if I just made it all exactly the same, I might as well jus' be writing out FY w/  
the name "Akane" in place of "Miaka". It'll start out similar; they're put into  
the same situation as Miaka and Yui.... but they're different people. ^~ Things'll  
work out differently. O.O;; like, a LOT differently...  
  
hai! that's all i have to say! ^-^ lezzgo. o.o  
--------  
Everlasting Story  
Part 2  
Akane Miata  
  
  
"Ow." Ranma really couldn't think of a more appropriate term for what he felt  
at that moment. "What..."  
  
A thousand things ran through his head about the situation he seemed to be   
currently in. First of all, why did his head hurt so damn much? Why was he  
a girl? And... who did he have his arms around..?  
  
He panicked at that last one.  
  
Finally taking the time to open his eyes, Ranma looked down to find, to his  
embarrassment, an unconscious Akane in his arms. Gently setting her down onto  
the hard ground, and trying to deny the his face was as read as his hair, Ranma  
took in the immediate area.  
  
"Where the HELL are we...?" He wondered aloud.  
  
"Ranma...?"  
  
The redhead jumped a bit, turning to look back at Akane.   
  
Her eyes were open, and she was staring at him with scantily veiled worry.   
"What just happened?" She propped herself up with her elbows, squinting against   
the bright sun.  
  
Ranma scratched the back of his head, trying to force the gears in his head to work,  
despite the pain. "Well," he finally mumbled, "I don't think we're in the library   
anymore...."  
  
"No duh, Ranma," Akane commented dryly. This couldn't be good. Something  
or someone had apparently transported the two of them to this strange place,  
which wouldn't be a first. Why did weird things ALWAYS happen to her when  
she was around Ranma for too long?  
  
"The book!" Ranma suddenly exclaimed enthusiastically.  
  
"Huh?" Jarred out of her thoughts, she let her focus drift back to the pigtailed  
girl.  
  
Ranma turned to face her, his stare slightly accusing. "That stupid book thingy you  
were reading out of."  
  
Realization slowly dawned on Akane's face.  
  
"Right before that bright light... Didn't you say something about a mantra or a   
spell or something?" Ranma crossed his arms over his chest and put on his best  
pout. "THAT'S nice, Akane. Ya just launched us into another one of your lil'   
adventures."  
  
She scowled defiantly. "HEY! At least my adventures are never on as big of   
a scale as yours! And it's not MY fault that silly bird --"  
  
"--Which doesn't EXIST," Ranma pointed out flatly.  
  
"--led us up there. And it does SO exist." She punctuated her words with a  
graceful sticking-out-of-the-tongue. "Don't interrupt me." *At least,* Akane   
thought, *if I have to get sucked to a strange world, I get sucked with Ranma.*  
Of all people she could think of, Ranma was most definitely the best for getting  
himself out of sticky situations alive.  
  
She grinned in spite of her scowl, a strange contrast to the fire in her eyes.  
  
The two teenage girls stared each other down for a few moments, before Ranma   
sighed and let her gaze wander skywards.   
  
"Akane..." His feminine voice was quiet, and cracked a little on the last syllables.   
Akane wondered a bit at the slight change of pace.  
  
He let a sufficiently dramatic period of time pass before he finally declared,   
"I'm HUNGRY!!! ARRGGHH!!!"  
  
Akane, who'd fallen back to the rough ground, decided it'd be best if she just  
stayed down.  
  
"Ranma, y'know..." Her hands reached up to rub at her temples in annoyance.  
"This really is one HELL of a time to make a comment like that..."  
  
Ranma laughed, a little sheepishly, patting her empty stomach to emphasize  
her suffering. "Just trying to lighten up the mood, you up-tight macho   
chick..."   
  
Ranma took a good look at the crumpled Akane and picked up a little on something.   
It was subtle, but.... Akane was scared? She was slowly climbing back up to her feet,   
and the anger was still definitely dominating, but... Ranma couldn't help but notice the   
slight glitter of unease in her brown eyes.  
  
He suddenly felt a little guilty. Alright, so maybe now WASN'T the time to be  
making degrading Akane-jokes.   
  
He grabbed her wrist and pulled the both of them to their feet "Don't sweat   
it, 'kane! We'll find our way outta here in no time! Who knows, we might not  
even be anywhere exciting."  
  
At Akane's skeptical look, he continued. "Maybe it was just one of Happousai's  
little games that dumped us on the edge of Tokyo or something.  
  
She let out a laugh at that. "Ranma, if we're in Japan, I'm your grandma."  
  
Ranma's fists clenched at his sides, and he rolled his eyes. Always so damn  
PESSIMISTIC! What WAS it with women, anyway? He carefully made a note  
to not remind himself that he was currently a woman himself.  
  
"Okay," he huffed. "So maybe not Japan." He turned and walked a few feet,  
looking uselessly at the dead terrain, for hopes of anything that'd clue him in on their  
location. Well, you could always hope..."Maybe we're somewhere more useful!"  
  
She blinked a few times at him. "What place would we find useful?"  
  
Ranma's eyes grew big as the thought processed through him. "China!! Maybe...  
Maybe we're near Jusenkyou!" Ranma hopped a little from foot to foot, as if  
he couldn't contain his energy. "I could be cured! It's been restored since the  
Jusendo thing--"   
  
He cut off. Akane'd been chuckling to herself a little throughout his revelation,   
but at the mention of the sacred training grounds, her laughter had dwindled off.  
  
Her eyes stayed fixated on some rubble at her feet. She could feel Ranma's eyes  
on her, and didn't want to make something out of an issue that was really nothing.  
It WAS nothing, after all.  
  
"Oy.." Ranma's voice was unusually gentle.  
  
"We've got to find civilization! Yes. We need a town or some sort of monument  
that'll let us at least know what country we're in..." Her amused smile was back,  
but it didn't quite reach her eyes.  
  
*Alright, so maybe I just imagined it...* Ranma felt a little guilty at his failed   
attempt at cheering her up. The Jusendo subject was still a little soft. He knew  
damn well that they needed to... talk about it... But, well, having planned talks  
about a predetermined topic was never their strong point. Especially when that  
topic had emotional attachments to it that weren't anger.  
  
While Ranma silently mused to himself, Akane turned away from him in a way   
a little too casual to really be casual. They could be so damn PERFECT together.  
Even he wasn't afraid to admit that. But... there was still so much... tension.  
Anger, sarcasm, and humor could ease it, or even hide it completely, but it was  
still almost always there.  
  
*Aw, what's the point. She's not even really my fiancee. I didn't chose her,  
and it ain't like I got any obligations to her...* He ignored the tingle in his  
chest, the one that whispered "denial~...." and directed his attention back  
to Akane.  
  
She seemed to be considering something. With a careful tilt of her head, she  
finally reached her conclusion.   
  
...picking a random direction, Akane started off. "Come'on, Ranma-kun! Onward!"  
She struck a heroic pose, and Ranma noted that it reached her eyes this time.  
  
"You sound like a twisted blend of Nabiki and Kuno..." He muttered as he began  
following her. Their little shield of comedy was apparently reconstructed. The   
slight awkwardness of before faded from his mind and she replied to his comment.  
  
"I can do them all, really. Wanna hear my impression of Kodachi?"  
  
Before he could stop her, Akane let out a bout of maniacal laughter that sounded   
too cute to be Kodachi's, but annoying nonetheless.  
  
For the second time in the past hour, Ranma ran smack into Akane's back as  
she made an abrupt stop directly in front of him.  
  
"OY! Would you WATCH where I'm going, psycho!?"  
  
Akane had stopped her inane cackling, and a curious glint had once again entered  
her eyes. "Hey," she whispered over her shoulder. "Think they can help us?"  
  
Ranma blinked at her for a few moments, before following her gaze over to  
a small group of men blocking Akane's forward-march.  
  
They were dressed in Chinese clothing, Ranma noted with interest.   
  
The men all looked drunk, sinister, horny and kinda evil-y.  
  
They practically had a freaking *rain cloud* brewing over their heads.  
  
"Err... Akane, I know you have a twisted view of reality and all, but... They don't  
really look like they WANT to help us."  
  
"Oh, don't be silly." Before Ranma could stop her, Akane had yelled a pleasant  
"yoo-hoo" to the men and strolled towards them.  
  
"Do any of you suppose you could lend your assistance? Maybe... tell us where  
we are, or--"  
  
"--hey baby, you lost? How 'bout having some fun with us?"  
  
Akane's eyebrows shot up. "Don't interrupt me, buddy."  
  
Ranma's stance remained relaxed; these guys were a bunch of untrained losers.  
Akane could'a kicked their asses if she'd been a twelve year old. His protective  
nature was prickling, but fear for his own health kept him from bugging Akane  
during one of her fights.  
  
"Ooohh.. feisty little bitch, ain't she? That sorta stuff turns me on..."  
  
Ranma's hand twitched a little. Akane'd better shut them up soon, or--  
  
"And what about the one in the background? Real erotic hair she's got there..."  
  
--he'd do it for her. Akane's control over her temper was really wearing thin,   
though. Even Ranma could tell from his spot several yards away.  
  
"As I was SAYING." Akane stated loudly. "I would REALLY like to know where  
we are--" She let out a frustrated sigh as one of the men lunged for her.  
"STOP interrupting me!" Her weight shifted, and she freed one of her legs to do  
a simple bunt-kick. Her peripheral vision let her know that Ranma was already  
taking down the others.  
  
Her kick met nothing but air, though. The pervert crumpled before she let out  
any anger.  
  
Akane's head pivoted in the direction of the new figure: a young man of about her  
age had knocked the guy out. "HEY!!!"  
  
Ranma walked up behind her, eyeing the new comer without the initial anger Akane  
was displaying.   
  
He'd taken the guy out effortlessly -- Not that he couldn't have done the same, and   
these guys weren't incredibly talented, but still... The kick had been almost too quick   
for Ranma to follow. Not someone to be trusted, most-likely... Ranma kept her eyes  
trained on the young man as he sauntered over to them.  
  
"Are you two ladies okay?" His hair went down to his waste, tied into a loose ponytail.  
His sky-blue eyes glittered with charm; and on his forehead, the imprinted chinese symbol  
for "oni" smoldered in dark red. *Tattoo?* Ranma wondered absently.  
  
Akane, on the other hand, couldn't have cared less about the boy's fighting ability, or  
the ominous demon kanji on his head. He'd just taken out her anger's outlet, which   
meant he got the lucky honor of replacing that outlet.  
  
"Just WHAT do you think you're doing?!"  
  
The tall boy had the gall to look innocent. "I just saved you--" His soft, surprised voice  
murmered.  
  
"I don't need to be SAVED! I'm quite capable of taking care of MYSELF, thanks."  
  
"Err.." Ranma interrupted loudly. No sense in letting Akane embarrass them in   
front of the first friendly face they'd seen. "What she means is thanks for saving  
us..." Ranma let out a nervous giggle and put on her ultra cute act, batting eyelashes  
and all.  
  
The stranger frowned slightly. "And here I thought I was saving some hot babes, but  
all I get is you two?" He sighed and put a hand to his head, his eyes closing tiredly.  
"I suppose you aren't even going to pay me?"  
  
Ranma moved with lightening-quick grace to latch onto Akane's arm. No point in  
tearing the poor guy to shreds -- yet, anyway. This guy didn't think his girlform  
was a babe? *What misplaced taste...* Ranma thought absently while he held  
onto his enraged fiancee.  
  
"PAY YOU?? You'll be the one paying me for your life once I get my hands on you,  
you little twit..." Akane growled through clenched teeth.  
  
The boy started to look miffed. "Aren't WE the rude one? Look miss, I just saved   
your LIFE!" He thrust a thumb towards himself to emphasize.  
  
"I don't need to be protected! I could have taken him down in a second!" Akane shot  
back in a hiss. Ranma's arms were still tight on her own. Stupid Ranma. Why did everyone   
have to be stronger than her?  
  
"What kind of chick ARE you?" He looked torn between anger and confusion, but finally  
just rolled his eyes and turned away. "Look, I'm out of here. If you're not going to pay  
me, then you're not going to pay me."  
  
Akane's battle aura is starting to chafe... Ranma thought bitterly.   
  
"Cheap-skate bimbos..." The man muttered before starting off.  
  
Ranma's eyelid twitched a little.  
  
*Oh well,* he finally thought. *Let the guy see just how distressed this "damsel" is.*  
Releasing his grip on the tomboy's arm, Ranma stepped back to watch with as much   
disinterest as he could muster.  
  
"Just be sure to make him tell us where we are, before you dismember him..."  
  
Akane was off before he could even finish, though.  
  
Ranma started to wonder a bit at his psychological health as he felt twinges of jealousy,  
watching the two yell at each other. What was he, masochistic? At least it wasn't him  
that was on the receiving end of Akane's blows... right?  
  
"I'll show you BIMBO, you stuck-up SNOT!"  
  
Ranma rolled his eyes and started to follow before they got too far.  
  
A familiar tingle grasped at the nape of his neck before he took no more than three  
steps.  
  
"eh?" Battle senses kicked in.  
  
His girlform's voice let out a muffled squawk as a red heat engulfed him. All Ranma   
could do was keep his eyes from drifting closed as his stomach went through vertigo.  
  
Ranma's muscles tensed, fighting against this new development. *What kind of place IS this?*  
  
It wasn't until Akane's angry form started to fade from view that Ranma felt fear grip him.  
He tried shouting out to her, to get her attention. He forced his legs to move against the   
myterious prickle. It felt like it was eating at his insides...  
  
*What the HELL is this?!* His voice wouldn't let out anymore than dry gasps -- Where the  
heck was that stupid tomboy? It was getting harder and harder to see through the angry   
red haze that clouded his vision. He gritted his teeth in frustration. Right now, Ranma really   
didn't wanna deal with the separation-anxiety he'd felt himself develop towards Akane shortly  
after Jusendo.  
  
"Aka..." Ranma made a final lunge for Akane, who was already far ahead giving the oni boy a   
good chase. Why wouldn't his voice WORK?  
  
Then, he felt the power tugging on his pigtail, pulling him away from the terrain and consciousness...  
.. and Akane.. he didn't wanna leave her alone here. She couldn't take care of herself.  
  
Then it was black.  
  
::::  
  
"Take THAT!! And THAT!!" She bopped him repeatedly on the head, or tried to at least. The  
stupid boy was moving too quickly for her to land all of her blows. The few that connected,  
though, looked like they would leave nice bruises.  
  
"GRAH! LEAVE ME ALONE!" He seemed reluctant to strike back at her, making her all the  
more angry.  
  
"What's wrong with you? Fight back!" Her anger was already mostly satiated, but she  
wanted to have some fun. It'd been so long since she had all those frequent fights in  
the mornings with those boys....  
  
His lips pursed and he didn't answer her. Before Akane could whip out the mallet-power,  
he'd leapt over her head took off in the direction of a road -- the first sign of civilization  
Akane'd seen so far.  
  
That discovery could wait, though.  
  
"HEY?!?! DON'T RUN AWAAY!"  
  
"I don't have time for this, lady!" She heard him yell as he sprinted away from her.  
  
Akane huffed and ran a hand through her slightly sweaty hair. That'd been interesting,  
at least. He was a cute boy, if a little feminine-looking. Granted, she hadn't been able to   
get any information out of him regarding their whereabouts, at least she got a workout, right?  
  
*And, by the looks of it...* Akane grinned, *a road that will hopefully lead us somewhere  
more useful than the middle of a desert.* She paused a moment to rest her hands on her  
knees and catch her breath.  
  
"Hey, Ranma! Look what I found!" She turned back towards her fiancé -- or, at least, where   
her fiancé should have been. "...Ranma?" Had they gone farther than she'd thought? That   
was a joke, though, and she was painfully aware that the area she stood in looked exactly the  
same as where she and Ranma had been dumped: bleak, empty, and utterly flat. She could   
see a good mile into the distance before there were any vertical disturbances in the land.   
  
And no Ranma. Just a couple bodies of some thugs lying about twenty feet in front of her.   
  
A sensation was nudging its way into her conscious memory; while she'd been fighting that boy, a  
weird sensation had come over her briefly. She'd been in the middle of a perfect leg swipe though,  
and didn't think much of it at the time.  
  
*Maybe...*  
  
She made a mindful effort to keep her breath slow and steady.  
  
*Maybe that boy did something to him..?* She'd been fighting him while the feeling had surfaced,  
after all. Her feet started a jerky trot back towards the spot where the bodies were, despite the  
obvious truth.  
  
"Ranma? This isn't funny..." Her voice sounded too meek for her liking. She hated admitting  
the fact that Ranma gave her a strange sense of comfort and confidence. Had she been stuck  
here alone, she probably wouldn't have even approached the rapists so arrogantly as she had.  
  
Her fists clenched as she arrived at the same spot they'd started out at. No Ranma hiding impossibly  
behind one of the tiny shrubs, or under any of the rock clusters.  
  
No Ranma...   
  
Unconsciously, her arms came up to wrap themselves around the soft silk of her -- well, his -- shirt.  
  
"That guy.. he must've done something..." Her breathing was just a little shaky. "And now I'm  
talking out loud to myself..." Her lips thinned in disapproval. With a determined nod of her head,  
she swiveled back towards the road.  
  
*Alright, Mr. Loud-Mouth. Time to find you and your money-grubbing paws.* Convinced that the  
incredibly annoying boy was the source of her fiancé's disappearance, she stalked towards the road  
and the large bustling city that was just beyond her sight.  
------  
Next Time ~::  
Ranma's.. gone? Oops. Akane's all alone now, and begins her quest to search for  
the kidnapped red-head. ^.^;; Where better to look, than that mysterious blue-haired  
boy from before? And -- Where'd Ranma go, anyway? O.O  
------  
Author's Notes:  
o.O;; i finished a chapter in less than a year? 0.0 weird. oh well. better than studying for finals.  
^.^ *lets out a caffeinated giggle* 


End file.
